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Unit 2 - Theatre History
Module 2: Jesters, Tricksters and Fools
Lesson 1 - The Role of the Trickster and Fool

Introduction:
The focus of this lesson is to look at the existance of the Jester, Trickster and Fool as they exist across so many cultures. Explore what they are, both through student exercises and from the work of other writers, historians and artists.

Resource:
(pdf) Background notes for theatre history unit


 Activity 1 - Warm-up
Divide class into 2 groups - one to "watch" and one to "do" (you will switch later). The 1st group is asked to walk about the room and at the signal they are to take a hugely exaggerated position as directed and Freeze. Give various directions, such as: squeezing a pimple; looking at someone strange; just told a huge joke, adjusting your underwear (without being seen), a sneeze, etc. (5 min). Discuss body language. Who are you watching? Make the audience look at you and you alone.

Activity 2 -Exercise
Ask for 3 people to volunteer (everyone takes a turn). They sit on a bench and are given a "location" to imagine. The person in the middle is to remain on the bench, while other 2 are called to the side and given a secret message. It can vary, such as: try to stick out your tongue without getting caught, or try to pick their pocket, attempt to take their place on the bench, make them pat their head and rub their tummy, switch shoes, make bunny ears, get them to sing, etc. The improv starts in the location, and the objective must be met by the 2 people working as a team, without the person in the centre catching on to what the others are doing. Those watching should observe realationships, body language and the "unexpected". (10 mins)

 

Sharing Information: Activity 3 - There are various methods you may use to share the information below. The categories are: historical, literature, film, Shakespeare, legend, acting. Investigate the material and share YOUR findings with the class. (40 mins)

1) Historical:

  • a pygmy clown performed as a jester of the court of Pharaoh Dadkeri Assi during Egypt's 5th Dynasty about 2500 BC.
  • Aztec fools, dwarf clowns, and hunchback buffoons were among the treasures Cortez took back (some say stole) from the Aztec Nation and brought to Pope Clement VII.
  • most Native American nations had some type of clown character - they played an important role in the social and religious life of the nation, and in some cases were believed to be able to cure certain diseases.
  • Court Jesters were given great freedom of speech; often were the only one to speak out against the ruler's ideas, and through humour, able to affect policy.
  • Yu Sze, a jester to Chinese Emperor Shih Huang-Ti, was able to save thousands of lives when he joking talked the Emperor out of plans to paint the Great Wall of China. Yu Sze is considered a national hero today.

2) Literature:

"The Wyrd Sisters"
(play and novel versions of this story exists. Both were written by Terry Pratchett.)
The Wyrd Sisters combines allusions to Shakespeare's Macbeth with the story of a Fool who knows to much. A hilarious script with great turns of phrase.

3) Film:

"Fool's Fire"
(A film based on Edgar Allen Poe's story Hop-Frog, produced by American Playhouse.)
This film is an excellent adaptation from literature. Directed by noted theatrical and stage artist Julie Taymor, it tells the story of a royal household and the courtiers and how they are looking for constant gratification and entertainment. They capture someone and force him to become a jester, the Court Fool. The story is one of revenge and comeuppance, beautifully told with life-size puppets and actors.

4) Shakespeare:

Who is the Fool in Shakespeare's King Lear?

What purpose did he have in the play?
  • during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, clowning was a theatrical art form.
  • William Kemp and Richard Armin were clowns in Shakespeare's troupe (Kemp was even part owner of the Globe Theatre).
  • Kemp specialized in playing the stupid country bumpkin type character - a style which would later become known as the Auguste.
  • Armin specialized in playing court jester style fools. (He wrote a book on famous court jesters, one of the first on clown history published)
  • the clowns would ad-lib in Shakespeare's plays, and scholars believe that their words were then incorporated into the scripts.

5) Legend:

Who is Coyote?

Look for examples of him in First Nation stories to understand his role as a Trickster.

A good example is A Coyote Columbus Story by Thomas King (publisher: Key Porter Kids). Or the novel, Green Grass, Running Water, (publisher: Houghton Mifflin) There is an excellent audio tape recording of the novel, read in the wonderful voice of Thomas King himself. It led to the creation of the CBC radio program, "Dead Dog Cafe".

Check the links page for more information.

 

6) Actors: Interview with Alec McCowen

"I found the Fool in King Lear a most difficult part because the lines are practically incomprehensible nowadays and because we're not quite sure what a Fool is. He's not Morecambe and Wise. There's no counterpart today. I couldn't get near the part. It was goobledygook. Or it was until I found an "as if", which was simply recalling myself as a small boy, when my father, who was the "as if" King Lear, would come from work tired, angry and spiky, often very bad-tempered, and I used to keep him sweet; I used to amuse him, and tried to stop the row with my mother about the food being late or not what he wanted or whatever. I would cavort about and make him laugh. It's strange how vivid childhood memories are: I work from them a great deal. And once I remembered that, the part lost all stress for me. The struggle went out of it."
(From: About Acting, Peter Barkworth. Methuen, UK. 2001)

Acting the Role: Optional Activity 4

You may wish to try the role of Fool or Trickster in a scene or story. As a class look at various children's stories to find material appropriate to the project. Some material to consider: Legends of Wasakechak or Coyote, the children's book Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like, or a made up story of your own.

 

Evaluation:
Students peer-mark the speeches of their classmates out of 15. Five marks are for style, and 10 are for content.

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